• Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to register so that you can join the community and use the numerous features on the site. After registering, don't forget to post up an introduction!

earplugs, hearing loss, impacted wax...

  • Thread starter Deleted member 23845
  • Start date
Forums New posts
D

Deleted member 23845

Guest
All,

One of my New Years "initiatives" has been to achieve improved hearing. I found out my ears had a lot of impacted ear wax. Cause is narrow passages, and use of motorcycle ear plugs. Dr. audiologist dug out a lot of gunk, and it took three visits to accomplish clean ears. Final cleaning was from EMT Doctor with micro tools. Hearing improvement is already significant. Next week I will get a full audiologist exam, and consider hearing aids.

Here is the lesson: have your ears checked for impacted wax. Motorcycle ear plugs can really jam in wax deep. If there is an issue, have an expert clean them out. Don't try it yourself. I will add a caveat I am not a medical professional, this is my experience worth sharing though.

Wish me luck on picking the right hearing aids.
 
While I haven't quite got to where I need hearing aids they are in my not too far off future. We have been working on getting hearing aids for my mother-in-law. They are not cheap and are a pain to adjust. One my neighbors just got a pair that he can tune with his iPhone. That seems way simpler than having to run back all the time.

I don't wear ear plugs when I ride, guess I should but I don't like it, but I do wear them a lot working at the ranch. Chainsaws, weed eaters, some tractor work cause me to put them in and out 20 times a day sometimes. I have learned the best way to minimize the ear wax is to take a hot shower and stand under a really powerful water jet from time to time. This seems to the wax down so it is a non issue.

just 411
 
I'm 33 and I bet I don't have another 10 years before I need hearing aids. Years of two stroke racing and working in manufacturing environments without hearing protection has done a number on me already.

I pass all the tests I'm given at work, but have a little trouble conversationally. It's often tough for me to pick up what someone is saying to me if I'm not looking at them.

On those "can you hear this" tests that match frequency up with age, I usually rate as having the high frequency hearing of a 55 year old.
 
Hearing loss is cumulative - once the damage is done it's nearly impossible to reverse. Do what you can to save what you have NOW.
 
You can buy special ear drops. Put a drop or two into ear. Let it dissolve the wax for few minutes. Flush out the garbage with water bulb. Safe, gentle, non-irratating, famarcist recommended.
 
Last edited:
Protect what hearing you have. Absolutely wear earplugs when riding.
 
I'm a member of the pre-silencer two stroke racer and shot too many guns for Uncle Sam clubs. I am now sporting a hearing aid on my left ear. Laugh all ya want all you young whippersnappers out there but the darn things do work pretty good. :clap: And yes they are NOT cheap.:yawn:
 
I clean my ears a couple of times a year with an ear bulb - been doing it since I was about 18. I just seem to attract ear wax. As for hearing loss, I have no idea why I hear as well as I do, given my years of motorcycling, plus 50 years of electric guitars and classic rock.
 
Annhl8rX said:
I'm 33 and I bet I don't have another 10 years before I need hearing aids. Years of two stroke racing and working in manufacturing environments without hearing protection has done a number on me already.

I pass all the tests I'm given at work, but have a little trouble conversationally. It's often tough for me to pick up what someone is saying to me if I'm not looking at them.

On those "can you hear this" tests that match frequency up with age, I usually rate as having the high frequency hearing of a 55 year old.
Click to expand...

You seem to have developed audio discrimination problems, or you could have been born with them as I was. You can hear a sleeping baby's breath in the next room if no other sounds. Even quieter sounds can destroy ability to understand spoken words. The least bit of static or hum can make an electronic device unclear. Trying to keep up with a speech in a room full of other people with all their breathing, wiggling, farting, etc., is frustrating, even when the speaker is electronically magnified. Some ears just can't choose between relevant and meaningless sounds.

TwoSmokeDS said:
You can buy special ear drops. Put a drop or two into ear. Let it dissolve the wax for few minutes. Flush out the garbage with water bulb. Safe, gentle, non-irratating, famarcist recommended.
Click to expand...

Hydrogen peroxide works the same way. Put a drop in an ear, wait until the bubbling sound stops, turn over and drain on a paper towel. Do the other ear. Repeat every day until you can feel ear canals free of wax and the drainage stays clear. Then cut back an additional day at a time until you figure how often your ears need flushing. If I'm riding and/or shooting with plugs every day I'll need to flush with hydrogen peroxide twice a week. Twice a week when I worked in a factory and wore ear plugs 12 hours a day. Switched to muffs, no more flushing necessary. If not wearing plugs a hot shower every day melts the wax enough I don't need to flush ears.
 
Another proponent of ear drops.

A couple years ago I experienced sudden hearing loss in my right ear, felt like I was wearing an ear plug. Doctor wasn't able to pull it all out, and recommended the drops. A disgustingly large amount was loosened and fell out after a few applications!

I tell myself I need to remember my plugs everytime I go on a longer ride, but I never remember. Motorcycles, convertibles, shooting, yard equipment have given me slight tinnitus in my right ear and I'm only 38.
 
tshelfer said:
I clean my ears a couple of times a year with an ear bulb - been doing it since I was about 18. I just seem to attract ear wax. As for hearing loss, I have no idea why I hear as well as I do, given my years of motorcycling, plus 50 years of electric guitars and classic rock.
Click to expand...

A little too much Clapton, the Who, Rolling Stones?

Wonder which band was the loudest in concert? I want to say the Who but not sure.
 
I have constant ringing in my ears. Some days worse than others. Could that be caused by impacted wax?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
SL350;1482804 Wonder which band was the loudest in concert? I want to say the Who but not sure.[/QUOTE said:
Of all the acts I've worked with (which include Pantera, Iron Maiden and a whole host of other infamous metal bands) Kool & the Gang takes the ticket for the absolute loudest stage mix I've ever heard!

Modern touring systems are capable of SPLs of over 140dB, something The Who only dreamed of in their day.
Click to expand...
 
SL350 said:
A little too much Clapton, the Who, Rolling Stones?

Wonder which band was the loudest in concert? I want to say the Who but not sure.
Click to expand...

Actually, I saw Clapton in 1975, with Freddy King. That concert was above the pain threshold for me. Ditto Jimi Hendrix, who I saw in Munich in 1969. I had to stand in the foyer outside the concert hall for 15 minutes and let the pain subside. Sound was pretty good from that spot. In more recent years, the Newsboys and Audio Adrenaline were close.

You know that saying about if we're too loud you're too old? In a break after the Newsboys left the stage, my wife looked at me and said, "Yup, we're too old."
 
kubotamiketx said:
Chainsaws, weed eaters, some tractor work cause me to put them in and out 20 times a day sometimes.

just 411
Click to expand...

For all those tasks I bought a chainsaw safety helmet which has many benefits: sun protection, hard hat, wire screen eye protection (up/down in one second), hearing protection. Makes working outdoors around many hazards less hazardous.
 
tshelfer said:
Actually, I saw Clapton in 1975, with Freddy King. That concert was above the pain threshold for me. Ditto Jimi Hendrix, who I saw in Munich in 1969. I had to stand in the foyer outside the concert hall for 15 minutes and let the pain subside. Sound was pretty good from that spot. In more recent years, the Newsboys and Audio Adrenaline were close.

You know that saying about if we're too loud you're too old? In a break after the Newsboys left the stage, my wife looked at me and said, "Yup, we're too old."
Click to expand...

Actually your ears are confusing distortion with volume. Those early sound systems had horn distortion figures sometimes close to 50% so even though the acoustic output was actually lower the perceived volume (and damage to your hearing) was much greater.

In 1975 a large touring sound system might be capable of around 10KW RMS, these days we don't even open the doors with less than 200KW! Those big boxes of yore were mostly air, todays cabinets are tightly packed with transducers.
 
poser said:
I have constant ringing in my ears. Some days worse than others. Could that be caused by impacted wax?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Sounds like tinnitus, so yes, ear wax is one of the 200 or so problems that can cause the brain to think it is hearing something it isn't, which is tinnitus. Many of the causes result in tinnitus that is not treatable, but tinnitus caused by impacted wax or other stuff causing pressure in the ear canal often goes away when the canals are cleaned out. See a doctor or audiologist--ears are extremely fragile and easily damaged, damage is often untreatable, so avoid the risks of amateurs and make a wise investment in your ears. Remember, nothing solid smaller than your pinkie covered with a wash cloth should be put in your ears.

If you use hydrogen peroxide or one of the other drops to dissolve a mass of ear wax you may have to repeat several times. Put a drop in, when it hits wax it will begin a chemical reaction and you'll feel and hear the bubbles. Lie still until the bubbling stops, them put a napkin or paper towel over your ear and flip over so the used up liquid runs out. A white tissue or napkin will show yellow liquid if it has dissolved wax. You may need to repeat several times to get it all. You can treat the second ear while draining the first, then switch roles when the bubbling stops. Then switch again and again until fresh drops do not bubble. No bubbles means no wax left to bubble.
 
Philip, most bands didn't even mic amplifiers in those days; the sound came directly off those big, heavy guitar amps. Hendrix was using three Marshall full stacks in an auditorium that wasn't as large as Bass Hall. The vocal sound system was pretty much an afterthought.

In Eric Clapton's case, it wasn't distortion so much as screamin' freakin' treble. At those volumes, a Strat on bridge pickup can feel like it's cutting your head in half.

I haven't been to a rock concert in some years. If I went to one, I'd be tempted to whip out my phone & see what the decibel meter says.
 
Thanks for the advance on using hydrogen peroxide... we did as kids and then stopped. Need to start again.

Folks laugh whe they see all the ear plus in my garage and moto van. Will not ride with out them.
 
tshelfer said:
Philip, most bands didn't even mic amplifiers in those days; the sound came directly off those big, heavy guitar amps. Hendrix was using three Marshall full stacks in an auditorium that wasn't as large as Bass Hall. The vocal sound system was pretty much an afterthought.
Click to expand...

And the reason Showco was founded after a Led Zeppelin show at McFarlane when the partners realized that JBL didn't know **** about building PAs!
 
Still having ear plug problems. We rode around Decatur today. All was going well until the last hour when one ear plug worked its way out. My ear is really ringing now and I have a relatively quiet bike with the old SL350 and CB350 pipes.
 
I have hearing damage from turning my head sideways firing a 357 . Hurt for 2days. Constant ringing now like crickets. I'm curious about those who wear hearing protection on a motorcycle because with a helmet on I'm nice and comfy- noise level low. Baffles in. My question is does the noise bother y'all or are y'all protecting yourself out of prudence. Before I saw people doing this it never entered my thoughts. I sure won't shoot a gun with out them any more -that's for sure. I guess with open pipes it's needed . Seems like it would throw things off for me to have plugs in on a bike. I'm gonna try it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Texas rabbit said:
I have hearing damage from turning my head sideways firing a 357 . Hurt for 2days. Constant ringing now like crickets. I'm curious about those who wear hearing protection on a motorcycle because with a helmet on I'm nice and comfy- noise level low. Baffles in. My question is does the noise bother y'all or are y'all protecting yourself out of prudence. Before I saw people doing this it never entered my thoughts. I sure won't shoot a gun with out them any more -that's for sure. I guess with open pipes it's needed . Seems like it would throw things off for me to have plugs in on a bike. I'm gonna try it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
...as for my ears....never ride any distance without ear protection now....SureFire brand.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top